Jesus—An Excerpt from Pursuing the Christ by Jennifer Kennedy Dean

Today on the blog I’m thrilled to introduce Jennifer Kennedy Dean as a guest contributor. You will enjoy Jennifer’s thoughtful, elegant writing style in this excerpt from her newest book, Pursuing the Christ—Prayers for Christmanstime. Read to the end for links to her ministry and books.

Jesus

Christmas is the day we have marked on our calendars to celebrate that pivotal event upon which all human history hangs. On a certain day in time and space, the eternal Word entered into our circumstances, clothed in flesh and born of a woman. In marking time, there is before, and there is after. All time is measured from the moment when the Word became flesh and took up residence among us.

It is easy to be distracted from the celebration’s true purpose. Too many of us know the Christmas season can quickly disintegrate into stress, greed, busyness, competition, and emotional overload. We enter again into the season we regard as holy but that too often becomes encumbered with the mundane.

This year, as we approach the celebration of His coming, I challenge you to focus on the Glory, not the glitz. Keeping our hearts anchored on Jesus, let’s celebrate Him in all our festivities. Let’s let the wonder of His incarnation be the center of our thoughts. The wonder that Jesus so valued each of us He left His throne from which He heard the continual cry of,“Holy, holy, holy,” to take on a man’s frame and hear instead, “Crucify Him!”(Revelation 4:8; Matthew 27: 22–23 NIV).

He who “lives in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16NIV) was willing to approach mankind so that frail humanity could see the glory of God. Christ has revealed the invisible God, bright glory filtered through His body of flesh so we would not have to hide our faces from the unapproachable light. Because we could not bear the sight of His glory, He veiled His glory in flesh and brought the beauty of heaven right down into the muck and mess of mankind.

Why would the Beloved become the Despised? Why would heaven’s Darling become the lightning rod for heaven’s wrath? Why would the King become a servant? The Scripture describes it this way: “He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7 NIV).

If the King of kings had taken the nature of an earthly king, that would have been a stunning act of condescension. If that were the story, we would be marveling at His unfathomable act of humility.

He did not take the form of an earthly king. He took the form of a servant. Breathtaking. Incomprehensible. Incalculable. The very God of the universe, by whom all things were created and through whom all things hold together, divested Himself of His rights and privileges to move from “God for us” to “God with us.”

All for love’s sake.

Jennifer Kennedy Dean

Adapted from Pursuing the Christ

Prayinglife.org

About Jennifer

Widely recognized as an unusually gifted communicator of the deep truths of God’s Word, Jennifer speaks all over the country calling God’s people to discover the difference between “a prayer life” and “a praying life.”

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Hi! Welcome to the place where I share about real faith for our real lives. I’m Rebecca Shirey. A writer. A speaker. A teacher, captivated by God’s Word. A student, searching for The Word in the words. A follower of Jesus Christ, grateful for His love and grace. I’m married to a pastor, who served 26 years as an Army Chaplain. We’re empty nesters, enjoying life in the Midwest and beyond